But what is even more frustrating is she believes the city didn't protect her.

"Oh gosh, it's been horrible," she said.

The property was purchased and renovated by YuYu Zhang, but Licenses and Inspections cited Zhang for failing to obtain permits after a neighbor complained during the renovations. Zhang received a $75 fine.

The property was purchased and renovated by YuYu Zhang.

Critics say there's no teeth in that penalty.

"I would say everybody would say $75 is not a sufficient deterrent," said Karen Guss of Licenses and Inspections.

According to L&I, Zhang acquired the permits in November 2016, but stalled for inspections.

He then sold the property to Mooney in late 2017, without the permitted work ever being inspected.

Mooney was cleaning her flooded basement when the knock came.

"All of sudden L&I knocked on my door to do final inspections that had been opened up a year and two or three months prior, and one of them was for my basement that was currently flooding," said Mooney.

In court papers, all defendants have denied wrongdoing, but a question remains: why are homes allowed to be sold with open permits?

In many municipalities, a Use and Occupancy Certification needs to be obtained before a home is sold. It's a final safety check, often conducted by a building codes department and during which open permits are often spotted.